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ITC/USA 2013 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Ninth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 21-24, 2013 / Bally's Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV / Solid-State Drives (SSDs) are an enabling technology for data recorders. SSDs can survive where Hard-Disk Drives (HDDs) cannot. SSDs deliver better performance with lower power consumption than HDDs. However, the end of Single-Level Cell (SLC) NAND flash may be near; Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash soon may be the only choice for industrial applications. System designers have two distinct concerns before implementing SSDs: 1. Cost: MLC NAND flash makes SSDs as affordable as HDDs 2. Endurance: SSDs are reliable and endurance assured with today's controller technology SSDs are leading the charge in transforming data storage in several applications, telemetry included.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is an efficient and conformal radiation therapy technique. It accomplishes this by dynamically varying multi-leaf collimator (MLC) positions, dose rates and gantry velocity. This work investigated the effect of varying the maximum MLC speed and maximum dose rate on the quality, efficiency and accuracy of treatment plans. The Pinnacle3 SmartArc treatment planning software was used to generate plans on prostate and head and neck (H&N) sites. A range of maximum MLC leaf speeds (0.55 cm/s to 2.20 cm/s) and maximum dose rates (200 MU/min to 600 MU/min) restrictions were applied to each plan to investigate their effect on the treatment quality, efficiency and accuracy. Each plan had their monitor units (MU) per fraction, delivery time, mean dose rate and leaf speed analysed. The dose volume histogram (DVH) data was used in the assessment of the conformity, homogeneity and plan quality. The treatments were delivered on Varian iX accelerator equipped with 120-leaf millennium MLC. Quality assurance measurements were performed using the ArcCHECK™ 3D diode array and results were assessed based on gamma analysis of dose fluence maps, beam delivery statistics and Dynalog data. The number of VMAT fields was found to be a key factor in how significant the maximum MLC leaf speed affected the plan parameters investigated. Single arc treatments were shown to have lower MU, dose rate and plan quality, while also exhibiting a slight increase in estimated delivery time. For dual arc treatments, MU, delivery time, dose rate and plan quality were largely independent of the maximum MLC speed allowed. The QA showed that higher MLC leaf speeds were prone to an increase in the discrepancy between planned and delivered control point (CP) fluence and higher MLC positioning errors. None of these were at a clinically significant level, and the overall fluence distribution and point dose comparisons were independent of maximum MLC leaf speed. The only clinically significant effect that modulation of the maximum dose rate had was on the delivery time. Lower maximum dose rates resulted in longer treatment delivery, which is an important consideration in minimising the intra-fractional motion during treatment. The results of the MLC leaf speed evaluation showed that the lower the maximum leaf speed the more accurate the delivered treatment, -however the quality of the plan is reduced. This indicates that there could be an optimum maximum MLC leaf speed which produces high quality plans that can be accurately delivered. Based on this work a maximum MLC leaf speed of 1.38 cm/s was shown to have no reduction in plan quality however it showed improvement in delivery accuracy. There was no justification found for reducing the maximum dose rate below the recommended 600 MU/min.

Transplantation is the best therapeutic solution for patients with chronic renal failure. Due to the great advances in immunosuppressive therapy in the last decades, graft and patient survival have improved significantly. On the other hand, immunosuppressive therapy has serious side effects - too strong immunosuppression may lead to infection or malignancies, conversely insufficient immunosuppression may lead to graft rejection. Due to the grave consequences of acute rejection, the main goal of cooperation of clinicians and transplant immunologists is to stratify patients into groups with low, moderate and high risk of rejection based on the evaluation of various immunologic risk factors. There are reports in the literature that the numbers (frequencies) of interferon gamma (IFNγ) producing cells before transplantation may be helpful to identify patients with high risk of acute cellular rejection and to predict long-term survival of the graft. In this retrospective study we determined the pre-transplant frequencies of activated donor specific T lymphocytes producing IFNγ after short stimulation (24 hrs) by ELISpot (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay). The results were correlated with the incidence of acute cellular (ACR) and antibody-mediated (AMR) rejection and with other risk factors. In our...

Das humane MLC1 (auch als KIAA0027 oder WKL1 benannt) ist ein 377 AS umfassendes Protein, welches vornehmlich in neuralen Geweben exprimiert wird. Aufgrund von Strukturanalysen und Homologievergleichen wurde eine Funktion als Ionenkanal mit acht Transmembrandomänen postuliert. Loss-of-function-Mutationen des MLC1-Gens lassen sich mit dem Auftreten der Megalenzephale Leukenzephalopathie mit subkortikalen Zysten korrelieren. Ferner konnte anhand einer Stammbaumanalyse gezeigt werden, dass die C1121A-Mutation in einer größeren Familie mit dem Auftreten der Periodischen Katatonie nach Leonhardt (PK) kosegregierte, wobei Folgeuntersuchungen zur Assoziation von MLC1-Mutationen und dem Auftreten der PK widersprüchliche Ergebnisse erbrachten. Zur weiteren Aufklärung der biologischen Funktion von MLC1 war es das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit, in zwei experimentellen Ansätzen nähere Kenntnisse zum transkriptionellen Expressionsmuster von MLC1 in vivo zu gewinnen, und anschließend durch Herstellung eines polyklonalen Antikörpers gegen das humane MLC1 den Grundstein für weitergehende Untersuchungen zur funktionellen Bedeutung von MLC1 zu legen. Mittels In Situ-Hybridisierung humaner und muriner Gewebeschnitte aus Hippocampus und Cerebellum konnte gezeigt werden, dass die MLC1/Mlc1-Transkription in diesen Geweben vornehmlich in den Bergmann-Gliazellen der Purkinjezellschicht des Cerebellums sowie – in schwächerem Umfang – in verstreut liegenden und in der subgranulären Zone des Gyrus dentatus gehäuften Astrozyten des murinen Hippocampus nachweisbar war. Im zweiten Schritt der Analyse wurden humane post-mortem cDNA-Proben aus verschiedenen Gehirnregionen und zusätzlich einigen nicht-neuralen Geweben von zwei Menschen gewonnen, mittels quantitativer Real-time-PCR die Genexpression von MLC1 bestimmt und mithilfe des Expressionsniveaus von ausgewählten Housekeeping-Genen (GAPDH, L13a, β-Aktin, ARP und Cyclophilin) normalisiert. Es zeigte sich, dass in allen getesteten Hirnregionen eine deutliche MLC1-Expression festzustellen war, deren Maxima im Cerebellum und Frontalhirn und deren Minima im Putamen bzw. im nicht-neuralen Plexus chorioideus lagen. Zudem konnte eine nicht-neurale Expression auf sehr geringem Niveau für Lunge und Milz nachgewiesen werden. Zur Gewinnung eines polyklonalen Antikörpers gegen humanes MLC1 wurden mittels computergestützter Verfahren ein 117 AS langes Vakzinierungsprotein entworfen, welches immunogene Abschnitte des N-Terminus (61 AS) und C-Terminus (54 AS) enthielt. Die kodierende Sequenz wurde unter Verwendung des Impact-CN®-Expressionssystems in einen pTYB-Vektor kloniert, in ER2566-Zellen exprimiert, das Protein affinitätschromatographisch über Chitin-Säulen isoliert und aufgereinigt und mittels Bradford-Assay und SDS-Gelelektrophorese nachgewiesen. Leider konnte trotz vielfältiger Variation der Versuchsparameter kein eindeutiger Nachweis einer ausreichenden Expression des MLC1-Proteins in den ER2566-Zellen erbracht werden, die für die anschließende Vakzinierung von Kaninchen zur Gewinnung des polyklonalen Antiserums erforderlich gewesen wäre. Die Gründe hierfür sind unklar, denkbar sind beispielsweise eine suboptimale Codon-Frequenz, eine schlechte Proteinlöslichkeit, intrazelluläre mRNA-Degradation, proteolytische Abbauvorgänge oder eine Hemmung der Proteinbiosynthese durch die biologische Funktion des Proteins. Zusammenfassend konnten die im Rahmen dieser Arbeit erzielten Ergebnisse einen Beitrag zur Erweiterung des Wissens zur MLC1-Expression leisten. Dabei entsprachen die Befunde zur humanen MLC1-Expression weitgehend den diesbezüglichen Beobachtungen zur regionalen und zellulären Expressionsstärkenverteilung aus dem Mausmodell, welche eine funktionelle Bedeutung von MLC1 im Rahmen von neuralen Schrankenstrukturen nahelegten (vgl. Schmitt et al. 2003). Mittels der zwischenzeitlich von anderen Arbeitsgruppen (über andere experimentelle Verfahren) erzeugten Antikörper gegen MLC1 konnte gezeigt werden, dass funktionelles MLC1 vermutlich als zellmembranständiges Dimer vorliegt und seine biologische Funktion u.a. durch Interaktion mit dem DGC (=Dystrophin-assoziierten Glykoprotein-Komplex) in den Caveolae ausübt. Es bleibt eine Aufgabe für die Zukunft, die genauen molekularen Mechanismen dieser Prozesse und ihre mögliche therapeutische Beeinflussbarkeit zur Behandlung der MLC zu erforschen. Auch die Frage der potenziellen extraneuralen MLC1-Expression, für die in dieser Arbeit Hinweise gefunden wurden, mag ein interessanter Ansatzpunkt für zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten sein. / Studies on the expression of megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts 1 (MLC1/Mlc1) in human and murine tissues

INTRODUCTION: Allergic women have been reported to give birth to more children than non-allergic women, speculatively explained by the former's predisposition for Th2 polarization, possibly favoring pregnancy. AIM: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that allergy is associated with more Th2-deviated responses to paternal antigens throughout pregnancy. METHODS: Blood samples were collected on six occasions during pregnancy and two occasions postpartum (pp). Of the 86 women initially included, 54 women had a normal pregnancy and completed the sampling procedures. Eleven women fulfilled the strict criteria for allergy (allergic symptoms and circulating IgE antibodies to inhalant allergens) and 23 were strictly non-allergic (non-sensitized without symptoms). The numbers of blood mononuclear cells secreting IFN-gamma and IL-4, spontaneously and in response to paternal alloantigens, were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The numbers of spontaneously as well as paternal antigen-induced IFN-gamma- and IL-4-secreting cells were similar in allergic and non-allergic pregnant women on all occasions. A similar increase in the numbers of both IFN-gamma- and IL-4-secreting cells were found in allergic and non-allergic women during pregnancy, both regarding spontaneous and paternal antigen-induced secretion. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support the hypothesis of a more pronounced Th2-deviation to paternal antigens in allergic pregnant women compared with non-allergic pregnant women, as measured by number of cytokine-secreting cells. The observed increase of both IFN-gamma- and IL-4-secreting cells during normal pregnancy may be interpreted as a Th2-situation, since the effects of IL-4 predominate over the effects of IFN-gamma.

Den 20 augusti år 2013 trädde Maritime Labour Convention 2006 i kraft. Denna studie har genom intervjuer med nautiska befäl ombord på svenskflaggade fartyg och genom en litteraturstudie, undersökt hur effekten av den nya konventionen upplevts. Syftet med studien var att få insikt i hur konventionen påverkat besättningsmedlemmar samt undersöka hur kraven efterlevs och vilka förändringar som behövts göras ombord med avseende på arbetstid, vilotid och bemanning. I intervjuerna framkom det att inga större förändringar har gjorts ombord i samband med implementeringen av konventionen. Detta eftersom större delen av konventionens krav redan varit implementerade i svensk lagstiftning. Det framkom dock att de nautiska befälen upplever svårigheter med att leva upp till kraven om vilotid och arbetstid samt att detta inte dokumenteras sanningsenligt. Orsaken till detta upplevs vara att bemanningen ombord på fartygen idag inte är tillräcklig. Resultatet visar att många lösningar på detta problem finns och att högre krav ska ställas på rederier och flaggstater för att en förändring ska kunna ske. / On August 20, 2013 the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 entered into force. This study has through interviews with navigating officers onboard Swedish flagged vessels and through a literature study, examined the effect of the new Convention seen from the navigating officers’ point of view. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into how the Convention effected the crew and examine how the requirements are complied with and what changes has been made onboard in regards of hours of work, hours of rest and manning levels. The interviews revealed that no major changes have been made onboard as result of the implementation of the Convention. The reason for this is that most of the requirements of the Convention was already implemented in Swedish law. It appeared, however, that seafarers are experiencing difficulties in meeting the demands regarding hours of rest and that this is not being documented truthfully. The reason for this is percieved to be that the manning levels onboard the ships today is not sufficient. The results show that many solutions exist to this problem, and that greater demands needs to be placed on shipowners and flag states for a change to take place.

Neste estudo foi caracterizado o processo de solubilização de solutos neutros em sistemas micelares compostos de surfactantes não iônicos da família de alcoóis secundários etoxilados com o mesmo grupo hidrofóbico e graus diferentes de etoxilação, variando de 5 a 30 subunidades de oxido de etileno. Para isso, foram utilizadas as Relações Lineares de Energias Livres de Solvatação (LSER) como modelo preditivo para a eficiência de incorporação de solutos. As análises de regressão múltipla e as validações apresentadas tiveram por base a constante de incorporação micelar KS como variável dependente e os descritores de soluto de Abraham como as variáveis independentes. A metodologia utilizada para a determinação de KS baseou-se em técnicas fotofísicas (supressão de fluorescência), medidas de solubilização (solubilização em saturação via espectrofotometria de UV-VIS) e técnicas de cromatografia líquida (Cromatografia Micelar) e gasosa (Cromatografia por Análise de Fase Vapor ou Headspace). A determinação realizada forneceu as seguintes LSERs: 15-S-5: Log KS = 0,054 - 0,227A - 1,197B - 0,600S + 0,938E + 1,854V 15-S-7: Log KS = + 0,267 + 0,435A - 1,475B - 0,831S + 1,045E + 1,805V 15-S-15: Log KS = -0,047 + 0,314A - 1,265B - 0,487S + 0,823E + 2,107V 15-S-30: Log KS = - 0,345 + 0,366A - 1,114B - 0,430S + 0,858E + 2,310V Como é típico para sistemas micelares, constatou-se que a partição dos solutos entre os agregados micelares e a fase aquosa é dominada pelas propriedades de volume molar (V) e capacidade receptora de pontes de hidrogênio ou basicidade (B) do soluto, com contribuições secundárias de dipolaridade (S) e refração molar em excesso (E) do soluto. O aumento do tamanho da cabeça hidrofílica de oligômeros de oxietileno (OE) torna a micela menos coesa, facilitando a acomodação de solutos e favorecendo também a penetração de moléculas de água de hidratação que formam pontes de hidrogênio com as unidades de OE. Isto é indicado pelas variações observadas nos coeficientes de B e V. As variações dos coeficientes de S respondem também ao tamanho da cadeia e ao grau de hidratação, o que foi verificado pelos espectros de bandas vibrônicas de fluorescência de pireno e por alterações de deslocamentos químicos de RMN-1H. Anomalias observadas para surfactante 15-S-5 provavelmente deveram-se à presença de isopropanol utilizado como aditivo para solubilizá-lo em meio aquoso. O conjunto de dados obtidos demonstra que o tamanho da cadeia de OE e da micela responde melhor ao modo do que à extensão de solubilização dos solutos analisados, uma vez que a variável KS não responde de maneira linear ao grau de etoxilação para o conjunto de detergentes estudados. / This study has characterized the solubilization of neutral solutes in micellar systems composed of nonionic surfactants belonging to the family of ethoxylated secondary alcohols with the same hydrophobic group and different degrees of ethoxylation ranging from 5 to 30 ethylene oxide units. Linear Solvation Energy Relationships (LSER) was used as a predictive model for the efficiency of incorporation of solutes. The multiple regression analysis and the validations presented were based on the micellar incorporation constant KS as the dependent variable and Abraham solute descriptors as the independent variables. The methodologies utilized to determine the KS values included photophysical techniques (fluorescence quenching), measurements of solubility at saturation (via UV-VIs spectrophotometry), micellar liquid chromatography and gas chromatography (Headspace analysis of the vapor phase above micellar solutions). This study provided the following LSERs: 15-S-5: Log KS = - 0,054 - 0,227A - 1,197B - 0,600S + 0,938E + 1,854V 15-S-7: Log KS = + 0,267 + 0,435A - 1,475B - 0,831S + 1,045E + 1,805V 15-S-15: Log KS = - 0,047 + 0,314A - 1,265B - 0,487S + 0,823E + 2,107V 15-S-30: Log KS = - 0,345 + 0,366A - 1,114B - 0,430S + 0,858E + 2,310V As typically observed for micellar systems, the partitioning of solutes between micellar aggregates and the aqueous phase is dominated by the properties of molar volume (V) and hydrogen bond basicity (B) of the solute, with secondary contributions from the dipolarity (S) and excess molar refraction (E) of the solute. The increase in the size of the hydrophilic oxyethylene (OE) headgroup decreases the cohesion of the micelle, facilitating the accommodation of solutes and also favoring the penetration of waters of hydration that hydrogen bond with the OE units. This is indicated by the changes observed in the coefficients of B and V. The changes observed for S also respond to the size of the OE chain, as reflected in the vibronic bands of the fluorescence spectra of pyrene and changes of proton chemical shifts in 1H-NMR spectra. Anomalies for the surfactant 15-S-5 were probably due to the necessity to include isopropanol as an additive to solubilize it in water. The data show that the OE chain and micelle sizes respond better to the mode than to the extent of solubilization for the solutes analyzed, since the predictor variable KS does not respond consistently to the degree of ethoxylation for the micellar systems studied.

Neste estudo foi caracterizado o processo de solubilização de solutos neutros em sistemas micelares compostos de surfactantes não iônicos da família de alcoóis secundários etoxilados com o mesmo grupo hidrofóbico e graus diferentes de etoxilação, variando de 5 a 30 subunidades de oxido de etileno. Para isso, foram utilizadas as Relações Lineares de Energias Livres de Solvatação (LSER) como modelo preditivo para a eficiência de incorporação de solutos. As análises de regressão múltipla e as validações apresentadas tiveram por base a constante de incorporação micelar KS como variável dependente e os descritores de soluto de Abraham como as variáveis independentes. A metodologia utilizada para a determinação de KS baseou-se em técnicas fotofísicas (supressão de fluorescência), medidas de solubilização (solubilização em saturação via espectrofotometria de UV-VIS) e técnicas de cromatografia líquida (Cromatografia Micelar) e gasosa (Cromatografia por Análise de Fase Vapor ou Headspace). A determinação realizada forneceu as seguintes LSERs: 15-S-5: Log KS = 0,054 - 0,227A - 1,197B - 0,600S + 0,938E + 1,854V 15-S-7: Log KS = + 0,267 + 0,435A - 1,475B - 0,831S + 1,045E + 1,805V 15-S-15: Log KS = -0,047 + 0,314A - 1,265B - 0,487S + 0,823E + 2,107V 15-S-30: Log KS = - 0,345 + 0,366A - 1,114B - 0,430S + 0,858E + 2,310V Como é típico para sistemas micelares, constatou-se que a partição dos solutos entre os agregados micelares e a fase aquosa é dominada pelas propriedades de volume molar (V) e capacidade receptora de pontes de hidrogênio ou basicidade (B) do soluto, com contribuições secundárias de dipolaridade (S) e refração molar em excesso (E) do soluto. O aumento do tamanho da cabeça hidrofílica de oligômeros de oxietileno (OE) torna a micela menos coesa, facilitando a acomodação de solutos e favorecendo também a penetração de moléculas de água de hidratação que formam pontes de hidrogênio com as unidades de OE. Isto é indicado pelas variações observadas nos coeficientes de B e V. As variações dos coeficientes de S respondem também ao tamanho da cadeia e ao grau de hidratação, o que foi verificado pelos espectros de bandas vibrônicas de fluorescência de pireno e por alterações de deslocamentos químicos de RMN-1H. Anomalias observadas para surfactante 15-S-5 provavelmente deveram-se à presença de isopropanol utilizado como aditivo para solubilizá-lo em meio aquoso. O conjunto de dados obtidos demonstra que o tamanho da cadeia de OE e da micela responde melhor ao modo do que à extensão de solubilização dos solutos analisados, uma vez que a variável KS não responde de maneira linear ao grau de etoxilação para o conjunto de detergentes estudados. / This study has characterized the solubilization of neutral solutes in micellar systems composed of nonionic surfactants belonging to the family of ethoxylated secondary alcohols with the same hydrophobic group and different degrees of ethoxylation ranging from 5 to 30 ethylene oxide units. Linear Solvation Energy Relationships (LSER) was used as a predictive model for the efficiency of incorporation of solutes. The multiple regression analysis and the validations presented were based on the micellar incorporation constant KS as the dependent variable and Abraham solute descriptors as the independent variables. The methodologies utilized to determine the KS values included photophysical techniques (fluorescence quenching), measurements of solubility at saturation (via UV-VIs spectrophotometry), micellar liquid chromatography and gas chromatography (Headspace analysis of the vapor phase above micellar solutions). This study provided the following LSERs: 15-S-5: Log KS = - 0,054 - 0,227A - 1,197B - 0,600S + 0,938E + 1,854V 15-S-7: Log KS = + 0,267 + 0,435A - 1,475B - 0,831S + 1,045E + 1,805V 15-S-15: Log KS = - 0,047 + 0,314A - 1,265B - 0,487S + 0,823E + 2,107V 15-S-30: Log KS = - 0,345 + 0,366A - 1,114B - 0,430S + 0,858E + 2,310V As typically observed for micellar systems, the partitioning of solutes between micellar aggregates and the aqueous phase is dominated by the properties of molar volume (V) and hydrogen bond basicity (B) of the solute, with secondary contributions from the dipolarity (S) and excess molar refraction (E) of the solute. The increase in the size of the hydrophilic oxyethylene (OE) headgroup decreases the cohesion of the micelle, facilitating the accommodation of solutes and also favoring the penetration of waters of hydration that hydrogen bond with the OE units. This is indicated by the changes observed in the coefficients of B and V. The changes observed for S also respond to the size of the OE chain, as reflected in the vibronic bands of the fluorescence spectra of pyrene and changes of proton chemical shifts in 1H-NMR spectra. Anomalies for the surfactant 15-S-5 were probably due to the necessity to include isopropanol as an additive to solubilize it in water. The data show that the OE chain and micelle sizes respond better to the mode than to the extent of solubilization for the solutes analyzed, since the predictor variable KS does not respond consistently to the degree of ethoxylation for the micellar systems studied.

Syftet med undersökningen är att beskriva hur levnads- och arbetsförhållanden inom svensk sjöfart har förändrats till följd av MLC-2006. Undersökningen visar hur dessa förändringar till följd av MLC-2006 upplevs av sjökaptener och representanter från Seko, SFBF och Transportstyrelsen. Examensarbetet har genomförts med hjälp av intervjuer för att ge en bild av hur MLC-2006 upplevs i svensk sjöfart. Informanternas upplevelse är att svensk sjöfart inte har förändrats nämnvärt till följd av MLC-2006. Däremot medförde MLC-2006 en högre standard på fartygen i hela världen, för att främja en mer rättvis konkurens mellan olika flaggstater samt för att tillgodose sjömännens rättigheter. / The purpose with this study is to describe how standard of living and working conditions in Swedish ships has changed as a result of the MLC-2006. This study shows how the changes have been experienced by the Swedish crews unions, the Swedish ship officers associations and the Swedish transport agencies representatives and two captains as a result of MLC-2006 implementation. The study was carried out by means of interviews in order to display implementation of MLC-2006 has been experienced in Swedish shipping. Results show that the representatives experienced no significant change in Swedish shipping after the MLC-2006 implementation. MLC-2006 resulted in higher standards in ships, a fair competition between flag states and to the advancement of seamen's rights in global shipping.